JOHANNESBURG - Siyabonga Nomvethe has no intention of hanging up his boots, the fact he is turning 41 in December notwithstanding.
So banish any thought of this weekend's final match - AmaZulu host Cape Town City at King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium - marking the end of Bhele's glittering 21-year-old career.
"I think I’m going to continue playing for AmaZulu even though my contract is up for renewal. I’m looking forward to getting another opportunity to play for another season here," said the striker who is among that select group of players to have played for all of Soweto's traditional big three clubs - Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Moroka Swallows.
"I’m not going to stop. Football is my gift. God gave me talent and I’m still going to use it so that I can show youngsters how it is like when you play with heart."
Nomvethe has made his intentions clear to Usuthu and given his contribution, he has made 16 league appearances this season, there is every possibility they will renew his contract.
"I will wait for my team to make a decision about my future, but I still want to play,” explained the player who has represented Bafana in two editions of the Fifa World Cup and four Africa Cup of Nations.
For the last match of the season, he'll come up against former Bafana teammate in City coach Benni McCarthy and he anticipates a heated clash.
“It is going to be war but not that much of a war because he was my teammate and he is still my friend," Nomvethe chuckled "It is important for us to keep our focus on helping our sides earn maximum points.
"We want to win the match because we are playing at home. We (himself and McCarthy) will fight at the start of the match and smile after the game. We must grab the three points to be in a better chance to qualify for the top eight.”
Usuthu are on 11th position with 35 points.
“I’m very pleased with the boys. We did a fantastic job this season even though we had a lot of challenges. Everyone was expecting us to get relegated but I had that feeling that we will survive. Now we can think of sneaking in to the top eight.”
Should he continue to play next season, Nomvethe will be en route to breaking the record of the oldest player ever to play in the PSL, a mark set by the late Shoes Moshoeu who played until he was 42, ironically in the colours of Usuthu